I had the pleasure of attending an event in New York City last week for the unveiling of George Gilder’s new book, The 21st Century Case for Gold: A New Information Theory of Money. The book is cutting edge and definitely worth the read.
One of the speakers at the event was Steve Forbes, the former presidential candidate and current Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Magazine. Steve is one heck of a speaker, and he spoke positively about George Gilder’s new book:
I think the significance of what George has done…He has given [monetary policy] a wider perspective. The blunt truth is: you can get taxes right, you can get regulations right, you can get spending right, but if you don’t get the money right—if you don’t get monetary policy right—you will be in trouble.
Forbes went on to argue that common wisdom was dead wrong on monetary policy:
If prevailing economic theories are wrong, inevitably civilization will have threatening crises as we have today. George understands—and will be able to convince other people to understand—that money is not, in and of itself, wealth. It is not a tool to guide economies like central planners envisioned. Economists have it backwards—the proverbial cart before the horse.
Forbes then suggested that Gilder’s book will have an impact on the currency debate:
This is a turning point. And this is why it’s so exciting to have somebody with George’s brilliance make this journey. Not understanding at the beginning, but understanding that something’s not quite right to say, ‘money controls everything.’ And then to take this journey, and be able to relate it to high technology, to the Bitcoin, to the Millennials. This is how we are going to win the argument. He’s given a new dimension to basic principles and will therefore play a key role in saving Western civilization.
A digital copy of Gilder’s book can be downloaded from American Principles Project’s website here. Check it out!
Jon Schweppe is Deputy Director of Communications for American Principles in Action.
